Christine F. Henle

Instructor-Practitioner in Mathematics

Education

M.S., University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, 2000 B.S., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, 1991

Professional and Personal Interests

“After centuries of disagreements, many issues have been resolved globally in mathematics. There are very few questions and issues left in mathematics that would apply to the everyday world,” said Christine Henle, professor of mathematics. “Obviously, in science, there are advances being made in the subatomic realm, and as such, mathematicians and scientists ‘create’ new math such as string theory to explain the science they are discovering.”

Therefore, according to Henle, “students today need to learn how to handle mathematics, especially statistics, in such a way that honors God.” Henle said, “Numbers themselves do not lie, but many people can manipulate numbers. Students need to learn numbers so that they can be wise as serpents but innocent as doves in this world.”

Henle’s take on mathematics in today’s world is based on her own experience and education, including her time teaching at the school on board the MV Doulos, which was the world’s oldest ocean-faring passenger ship.

“My perspective on instruction was definitely broadened. I learned about teaching methods and instruction in other countries as I used materials and spoke with parents and students from different nations,” said Henle. “I learned how to teach a variety of subjects in mathematics, and I learned that students behave differently in different classes.”

Aside from her time teaching and overseeing staff on the MV Doulos, Henle has served as both a high school and a university instructor. In addition to her degrees in math and math education, Henle has also completed coursework in chemical engineering.